Draw made for US Open Wheelchair Competition

NEWS ARTICLE

Photo: Paul ZimmerShingo Kunieda (JPN)

The draw for the 2013 US Open Wheelchair Tennis Competition, part of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour, took place in New York on Wednesday afternoon ahead of matches getting underway on Thursday at the final Grand Slam of the year.

This is the first time that all eight top ranked men’s singles players, all eight top ranked women’s singles players and all four top ranked quad singles players are among the field of 20 players for the US Open Wheelchair Tennis Competition, with no fewer than ten of the 20 players making their debuts in New York this year.

World No. 1 Shingo Kunieda of Japan will open his bid for a fifth successive men’s singles title in New York with a match against Argentina’s world No. 5 Gustavo Fernandez. The winner will meet either world. 7 Michael Jeremiasz of France or world No. 8 Ronald Vink of Netherlands for a place in the final.

In the bottom half of the men’s draw there is a fascinating match-up between world No. 2 Stephane Houdet of France and world No. 3 Maikel Scheffers of Netherlands.

The only men’s quarterfinal between two players making their debuts in New York sees world No. 4 Joachim Gerard of Belgium play his first ever match at a Grand Slam against world No. 6 Gordon Reid of Great Britain.

Arguably the most eye-catching of the quarterfinal matches in the women’s singles is the all-Dutch contest between world No. 2 Aniek van Koot and world No. 3 Jiske Griffioen, who will also join forces as top seeds for the women’s doubles.

Germany’s Sabine Ellerbrock will aim to add to her career first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in June and the world No. 1 will play her first match in New York against world No. 8 Jordanne Whiley of Great Britain.

With the now-retired former world No. 1 Esther Vergeer having won all the previous women’s singles titles in New York, a new name is guaranteed to be added to the roll of honour this year.

Another women’s match between two players making their US Open debuts will see Japan’s Yui Kamiji, the winner of last week’s USTA Championships Super Series in St. Louis, take on South Africa’s Kgothatso Montjane. Kamiji starts her campaign in New York with a new career high ranking of No. 4 after her success in St. Louis.

Both British players are drawn in the same half of the women’s singles draw. World No. 7 Lucy Shuker will play Dutch world No. 5 Marjolein Buis, the winner moving on to a semifinal against Ellerbrock or Whiley.

The quad singles event will once again begin with a series of round-robin matches, with world No. 1 David Wagner, his fellow American Nick Taylor, Great Britain's Andy Lapthorne and South Africa's Lucas Sithole all playing each other to decide who will contest the final at the weekend.

Wagner will open his bid for his third successive US Open quad singles title against world No. 2 Lapthorne, while world No. 3 Sithole meets world No. 4 Taylor.

The total purse for the 2013 US Open Wheelchair Tennis Competition will be $150,000, a $30,000 increase in prize money from 2011.